Norfolk 22 Bargain Hunt

Today, we've headed east to Norfolk, county home of Horatio, Lord Nelson

and Britain's first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole.

Let's hope that our teams today are going to make a bit of history

and let's go bargain hunting, yeah!

So here we are at the Norfolk Showground.

Let's hope that our teams are going to be able to unearth some valuables

that might be fit for a king.

Let's take a quick peek as to what's coming up.

-'On the Blue Team, Jonathan is struggling to keep up...'

-Pulling out hair.

-What is it?

He don't know what it is!

'..while the Reds are racing ahead.'

260. Any advance on £260?

That's amazing.

'Oh, goody! Let's meet these teams.'

For the Reds today, we have Rosemary and Norman who are married.

And here's a clue as to what Norman does. Over to you, Norm.

O-o-o-o-oyez!

Welcome to Bargain Hunt!

O-o-oye-e-ez!

-Right then.

-LAUGHTER

-Thank you very much...

-That's all right.

-..Norman, for that.

Lovely.

And for the Blues, we've got Jeanette and Piers

who, apparently, are mother and son which is very nice too.

-A very warm welcome to everybody.

-Thank you.

Now, Norman, you're clearly incredibly well established as a town crier.

If you've got any voice left to you at all, would you mind telling me what else you get up to?

Well, I'm also a non-stipendiary minister

and I actually used to work with the church in all ways,

doing marriages, baptisms and burials.

Lovely. But before you became a priest, you've had a variety of careers, haven't you?

Yes, I have. I started off my career as a state registered nurse,

then I went into the army for 11 years, in the RAMC.

When I came out of that, I became a probation officer and worked at HM Prisons for over 20-odd years.

-A lot of porridge.

-Absolutely.

-Yeah.

-Not many people can do more of a sentence than that.

Rosemary, this is an extraordinary man that you've got hold of here.

How did you actually hook up then?

It was leap year and being leap year, we ladies have certain advantages, so I proposed to him.

But Norman felt that it had to be done his way as well,

so he asked a pilot at the local airfield if he'd take us on a spin.

I was not told very much information apart from, "Bring your passport."

We ended up in Le Touquet and on bended knee, outside a French restaurant, he proposed to me.

-And I accepted.

-How sweet! How did the French take it,

a couple of eccentric English doing proposals outside their restaurants?

-Can you imagine?

-MIMICS FRENCH SPEECH

-And so on. It was amazing.

-Fantastic. Great fun.

That's got all that sorted out. And very good luck.

-Now, Jeanette and Piers, wasn't that shout impressive?

-Very.

-How can we follow that?

I know. We can talk to you, Piers, about what you're doing at university.

-I'm a dental student at Bristol University.

-What inspired you to go into Dentistry?

When I was eight, I learned that Queen Hatshepsut died of a dental abscess in 1457 BC.

It spread through her laryngeal cavities and she died.

It got me really interested in it and went into American forensics and that sort of stuff.

Egyptology is also one of your strands, is it?

Yeah, a bit of a nutcase, but there you go.

So when you're not extracting or filling or learning about these things, what are your hobbies?

I'm a ballet dancer, tap dancer.

I sail, kayak, hot-air balloon, learn a few languages. Yeah, I keep myself busy.

-How marvellous. You must be very proud of the boy.

-I am.

-Does he get it all from you?

-Of course he does!

-I hope so.

-And what do you do for a living?

-I work in HR.

-And are you keen on Egyptology?

Yes, I am. We've been there quite a few times.

Every time we go, we take a hot-air balloon over the Valley of the Kings which is absolutely beautiful.

So what is your tactical arrangement today? How are you going to beat the Reds?

-Spend big to win big.

-Are you going to spend the lot?

-We hope so.

-That's nice. We love that. Now for the money moment.

-£300 apiece.

-Thank you very much.

-You know the rules.

Your experts await and off you go and very, very, very, very, very good luck!

Goodness only knows what's going to happen, eh? What, with all these Egyptians dying of dental problems?

But someone with a great set of gnashers

and ready to hound those bargains is Catherine Southon.

Hoping to dig up some treasure for our Egyptologists is Jonathan Pratt.

I'm feeling rather confident today.

I've got the best researcher here on my right and I've got the power of the Lord on my left.

-What can possibly go wrong?

-Absolutely nothing.

-You're an Egyptologist.

-That's me.

-And you've brought your mummy!

-LAUGHTER

Oyez!

Fill your boots.

Anything goes, more or less.

And wasting no time, Catherine's got a touch of puppy love.

I thought the dog whistle was quite sweet.

Gosh!

It's quite nicely modelled.

There's no hallmark, English hallmark on it,

but it is stamped on the ring 925.

-It's rather nice, though.

-It is actually.

What can you do on that? What's your best price on that?

To you, the best I could do would be 40.

So if it was to anybody else, you could do 30?

30's a good price.

I quite imagine 30 is a good price for that lovely silver whistle. Goodness me!

You've got a lovely sun tan.

-Have you got dogs?

-I have.

-Would you have it?

Yeah, I think I would. It would be great.

And how much would you pay for it?

-Hmm... 30, 35.

-Yes.

< I think 35. Do you think we'll make a profit on that?

I would certainly hope so at 35.

-I should think so because it's just a bit of fun.

-Yeah, it's great.

35? Go on.

-35? Yeah...

-It's a little bit lean, but...

-And you're a good man.

-Yeah, fine. Let's do it.

-Wonderful. Lovely.

-One down, two to go. We're off!

-BLOWS WHISTLE

Don't worry, my fluffy friends. It's just Norman wetting his whistle.

-Come on down, the price is right.

-Wrong show, actually.

Jonathan, what about the writing, um...? No?

-Every show has a writing slope.

-I think they'd be good with iPads because of that slope.

I like your thinking, Jeanette.

-You've got knees, haven't you?

-Yeah.

-That JP is such a killjoy!

-I tend to prefer to use my knees.

-What do you think about this big chunk of wood?

-It's enormous.

-Fruit bowl? What would you use it for?

-It'd be ideal for christening.

Our teams certainly know how to put these collectables to good use.

-It's actually quite hard work, isn't it?

-It's terribly hard work.

You've got to spot that little jewel amongst everything else. There's so much to look at.

Talk about spotting a gem, look what I've found!

How bizarre is this!

Isn't that extraordinary?

Have you ever seen the like of it?

A snakey.

Now, I have come across these things before.

Made at the time of the First World War Dardanelles campaign

by the Turks and the Brits in captivity,

but they're always beadwork,

there's always an articulated core covered in beads.

Never in my long life have I ever seen a snakey quite like this.

What we've got is literally thousands of pieces of paper

that have been strung together with a bit of cord up the middle

to make this thing so bendy and articulated.

Look at each of these pieces of paper when I peel them back

and you'll see that each of the thousands of pieces is actually a postage stamp.

There's a Penny Red, look.

There's a Two Penny Blue.

These are all stamps that date from between about 1840 and 1860.

And then to start and finish it, we've got a bit of silk and felt embroidery.

Well, I've seen this type of embroidery before, both in Egypt and in India.

So what's happened is the clerk in the embassy

or the clerk in the bank or wherever he's working

has had hundreds of letters appear from old Blighty

and the clerk hasn't thrown one of those letters away,

not until he'd hacked the postage stamp off it.

Never have I seen the like and I doubt the like exists anywhere else in the world.

What would this maverick and bizarre object cost you today?

Well, it could be yours for £30.

That's what I call "first-class post".

Now, will our team soon be making some speedy deliveries?

-Oh, this is lovely. Gosh, it's huge, isn't it?

-Where do we start?

Have a rummage.

Not a local name to me, but I still quite like it.

It's big and it's bold and it could be useful as well.

-Excuse me. How much is the lamp?

-95.

-Is that the best you can do?

-I would do 80 and that's it.

- I was thinking more about 50. - No, I'm not.

-That's something you must be familiar with, an anointing spoon.

-Absolutely, yes.

So nothing on the horizon and Jonathan's getting twitchy.

We've bought nothing. Another ten minutes goes and we've not bought anything, the pressure's really on.

I saw the bits in there. Is that a silver compact?

-That's quite nice, that one.

-It is nice with the dog.

-Another dog.

-Can we have a look?

-I think that's quite sweet. What do you think?

-Yes, it is.

-It's Deco in style.

-Yes.

You can see these lines which are quite Deco.

-It's in quite good condition.

-I think it's quite fun.

-I don't use them.

-Do you not?

-No.

-Nor do I.

You surprise me(!) There we are, it's got its puff.

-A young lady of the 1930s would have used that.

-Lovely, clear hallmark.

We've got the leopard's head which tells us it was assayed in London

and then we've got the date letter there for U.

I cannot say exactly what the date is, but they have done it for us and said that it's 1935,

so I think we can pretty much go with that.

-That's really nice.

-And you think we'd make a profit on that?

It's all engine-turned and it's in nice condition.

What would be your best price on that because it's a little bit punchy?

-Very punchy.

-I think 75.

-Oh, that's quite a lot still.

-Yes, yes. Would you be able to come down a little bit more?

70 would be the very, very best, I'm afraid.

What would really be your rock bottom on it?

Between friends.

65, that's it.

-I think it's lovely. Yeah. I'm saying yes.

-Good.

That's two doggy delicious items snaffled up by the Reds.

I tell you what. I think it's just lovely and I would buy that a million times over.

Meanwhile, the Blues are struggling to buy anything ONCE over!

Can you tell us a little bit about these two lamps you've got here?

They must be late 19th century, maybe sort of 1910, port or starboard, the left and right of your ship.

-Original glass.

-What's your best price?

-265 on those.

That's all our money gone in one fell swoop.

-Can you tell me how much the little chest is?

-130.

130. It's a little bit above our budget.

-What did you wear when you were doing ballet?

-Tights and Lycra.

-Did you put your socks down there?

-No.

Feeling a little insecure, JP? Come along, Jonathan. It's time to focus.

I am going to back off on this.

I need you to look at something, decide on something and I won't talk you out of it.

At least they've got a plan. Now, what have our animal-loving Reds spotted?

How do you play Splat The Rat? It's with a tube, isn't it?

-It's a tube. It's like a drainpipe.

-Right.

-And it goes on to a stool.

-Yeah.

So the thing comes shooting down and you have a bat. As it comes out, you hit it.

-Rosemary isn't convinced. It's just you and I on this.

-Not as a third buy.

-No.

The thing that slightly worries me is we're being a bit snappy with our decisions.

As soon as I pick up anything, Norman's bought it.

The Blues, however, have found something without JP's help.

What could you do for a job lot?

Um...

40 quid?

- 25? - 30?

- 27? - Oh, go on, 29.

- 28? - All right then.

We'll have it for 28. Thank you very much.

- Thank you. - Jelly moulds.

They're pretty much as you've said. They're jelly moulds. You could make pates or that sort of thing in them.

-It's not exactly Egyptian treasures, but they're nice and shiny.

-Yeah. Everyone loves jelly.

-I've got another one here for you.

-Oh, brilliant.

-Are you throwing that in? Thank you very much.

-There's five of those.

Well, you can never have too many jelly moulds, can you?

Half an hour gone, folks.

We need to get our skates on because we've still got two more items to buy.

However, the Reds are already on the hunt for their final bargain.

Catherine...

-This looks nice. Do you know what it's made of?

-It's pewter.

I quite like all the different details here.

-You've got little scallopy things down there.

-It's £75.

-We could get it down a bit.

-I wouldn't...

I'm feeling a sort of £30, £40...

What's your best price on this?

I could do that for 55.

-You couldn't come down?

-We're just trying to make a profit on it.

50. Is that all right?

-We were looking at 30.

-I wouldn't...

-That's what we were looking at.

- It is nice. - I tell you what. You can have it for 45, OK?

- You couldn't come down a bit more? - 35.

He's so lovely, isn't he? What do you think? Do you want to go for it for 35 or do you want to look?

And a cup of tea, that is! >

- If you could just hold it for a few minutes... - Yeah, definitely.

-You're a lovely man. Thank you.

-We'll have a look around this stall. I'm clocking some nice things.

Always good to have one up your sleeve for later.

Now, the Blues can't fail to notice that time is ticking away.

-Are you trying to sell them a clock?

-Not at all.

-I'm selling myself a clock. They're gorgeous.

-There's two that we've spotted, Jonathan.

-OK.

-We've got this one.

-Or the little German dog.

-That's more of...

-Quite fun.

-Yeah, because people like little dogs and stuff and 1930s.

Depends on the price. It might have been silver-plated at some point and it's been lovingly polished away.

The base is very typically early 20th century, traditional shape.

The fact that you've got this little figure of... Let's call it a pug.

-It's something like that.

-It looks puggy.

-That's where the money is to a collector.

-OK.

-I quite like that, but...

-Let's see what we can do on the price.

Have a word with the chap and see what he says.

How much for the "doggie in the window" clock?

I've got £85 on it...

< And your best price would be?

Is £60.

Would you do 50...please?

- 55. - 53?

- 57. - You said 55!

- I know. - Let's go for 55.

- 55. - Thank you very much.

Thank you. Lovely. Thank you.

-I'm really pleased with that.

-That's really nice.

-Is that OK, Jonathan?

-Of all the clocks that you're looking at, the one with the dog is the one to go for.

-Thank you.

A carefully worded answer there, JP, but animals are all the rage today. Look at that!

What's your owl?

-I like owls. How much is it?

-He's got 150 on it.

-< That can be cheaper.

-That can be cheap? Can it be a fiver?

- Not that cheap! - Let me just have a look at it.

-Have a look at the... I'd like to date it, actually.

-Yes.

Would that have a hallmark on it? >

-Yes, I would say it's probably early 20th century.

-I could do that for 80.

So what we've got here is a child's teether.

This is mother-of-pearl and this would be the bit that the child would bite into.

And then around here we've got the silver hallmark.

-That or the other?

-Yes...

So at the moment we've got the fish at 40...35.

-35.

-35.

-And this at 70, did you say?

I'd do it for 70. That might give you a bit more chance.

- You've reached your bottom on the owl, have you? - You can have it for 65, all right?

-60?

-60, all right.

-I didn't hear what you said. What did you say?

-That's all right, 60.

-That was a helpful moment of deafness, Catherine.

-So is it the fish plate or is it the owl?

Fish or an owl? What do you want to do?

I'm quite happy with both.

-I'm going for the owl. I collect owls and I like owls.

-I'll go with that.

-The owl?

-The owl.

-The owl wins through.

-Yeah.

Well done, Catherine.

Unlike the Blues' expert adviser who seems to have wandered off!

-Is that a pigeon carrier clock?

-A what?

-A pigeon clock?

-Yeah. £50.

-50?

-Yeah.

-Can you just lift it up? Is it working? Can we have a look?

It just needs calibrating.

Oh, gosh, it's got some weight!

-How does that work?

-So a pigeon has a ring on its leg and you release them. They fly around the country.

-They come back. You put the ring in the side here.

-OK.

-And it tells you how far they've flown.

OK. That sounds very interesting. Is it for pigeon racing?

-Yeah, and fanciers.

-Wow! What's your best price on that, please?

- I could do it for 40. - We were thinking more about 25.

-Oh, no.

-What's this chap here?

30?

-Pulling out hair!

-What is it?

-< Split the difference, 35?

What are you negotiating on?

Come on, Jonathan, buck up!

-This is a...?

-He don't know what it is!

-I've seen these things. Something makes me think about pigeons. Yes, exactly.

-35?

Go in between. 37.

-All right, 37.

-Wonderful.

-Thank you very much.

- Thank you. - Twit-twoo!

What a hoot!

Oyez, oyez, oyez.

I declare that time's up, bargain hunters!

Why don't we check out what the Red Team bought, eh?

'This silver dog whistle signalled the start of the Reds' shop,

'bought in the first two minutes.

'They gave another dog a home

'when they chose this silver compact for £65.

'And they kept the animal theme going to the end

'with this teether in the form of an owl - £60 paid.'

-Well, Stormin' Norman, how's it all gone? All right?

-Wonderful.

-Has it?

-Had a really good time.

-You're lucky to be with Catherine.

-Absolutely.

-OK, fine. How much did you spend all round?

-I think 100...

-£160.

-You spent 160.

-Who's got the £140 of leftover lolly?

-That would be me.

-Thank you.

-Here we go, Catherine.

-Thank you.

-There's a nice wodge.

-I've seen something perfect for you two.

-Is it Biblical?

-No.

-Has it got anything to do with town crying?

-No.

-No!

-No.

-But it's elegant.

-Ah!

-Like our lovely Rosemary.

-Thanks very much.

-And it's practical like our Norman.

-There we are.

Meanwhile, why don't we check out what the Blue Team bought, eh?

'After lots of wobbling about, they settled on the jelly moulds for £28.

'Yet another pooch was purchased with this timepiece.

'And they flew in under the wire with this racing pigeon timer,

'bought for £37. Coo! Coo-coo!'

-Really groovy. Thank you very much.

-My pleasure.

It's not so often that you're told that your shopping is groovy, Jonathan, is it?

-Well, you know...

-From oh, young one, shortly to be of the teeth.

-Brilliant. You've cut your teeth today, yes?

-Definitely.

-Had a nice time?

-Brilliant. Absolutely amazing.

-Have you led your mother astray?

-I think I've been led astray by my mother!

-How much did you spend?

-We spent £120.

-You spent 120. What did you spend?

-We did.

-Only 120?

-I know, it's shameful.

£180 of leftover lolly, please. That's a lot of housekeeping, isn't it?

Fair enough. Going over to JP. I hope you're going to spend the lot, boy!

-You never know your luck. I think I might just.

-There's a little treat in store. Thanks, teams.

Meanwhile, I'm heading off to Ham House which is, of course, one slice short of a sandwich!

Beautifully situated on the River Thames not far from Richmond,

Ham House is something of a feast for the eyes.

Built in 1610, King Charles I gave the house to his chum William Murray in 1626.

Nice gift, eh?

Perhaps the most impressive and magnificent space at Ham House is this, the Long Gallery.

Popular with aristocrats as a space where you could take exercise in inclement weather,

what William did in his time was to bring it bang up to date.

He bunged up a couple of fireplaces, for example,

and installed the classical pilasters which made this space look so very special.

In a way, he traded comfort for style.

With no fireplaces, it could get just a bit chilly.

The Long Gallery was a place where Murray could impress guests with his important lineage

by hanging portraits of his ancestors and inspire envy with some remarkable pieces of furniture,

including some very fine cabinets.

What is it that makes this thing so cool?

Well, for something that was made in 1660 or 1680,

graphically, the thing is just perfect, isn't it?

To veneer the background in black ebony,

so that every flower head and piece of foliage stands out so dazzlingly was so clever,

apart from having the skill base, of course, of cutting all the materials.

Then every bit of green foliage is made out of ivory

that has been stained green, which is fantastic,

and then the odd bit of detail, look.

The flower heads in white ivory have been left white

just so they stand out and give you that special thrill.

And if we have a look inside, wow!

Look at that!

It's a bit cleaner, it hasn't faded

and therefore you can see just the skill of all this that much more brilliantly.

This is probably the work of a Frenchman, Pierre Golle,

who specialised in this super-duper floral inlay.

And now for something completely different - a chest on a stand, but from the Orient.

The lacquer that has been used in this chest comes from Japan

and there's a confusion often between Chinese and Japanese lacquer.

Japanese lacquer is always asymmetrical.

This lacquer is called Takamakie

which is the build-up of layers,

including charcoal and sawdust and lacquer,

which is, after all, only hundreds of layers of thin varnish,

so that it can be cut and carved in a textural way.

It's a special piece for Ham House

because it's recorded in the 1679 inventory as being in this room

in this position,

which is where it is today.

That in itself would be nothing short of remarkable,

except that out of the Ham archives,

they know that a cabinet-maker called John Nix, in 1730,

was charged with removing the lacquer panel from the top of this cabinet

and re-using it to make a table.

And yes, you've got it, here is the table.

The survival of both pieces

and the story and the documentary evidence has to be nothing short of miraculous,

which is the theme that we hope will continue over at the auction today with our teams

because I fancy they're going to need a bit of a miracle themselves.

We've popped across to Diss, to TW Gaze's Saleroom, to be with Elizabeth Talbot. Good morning.

Tim, hello. Nice to see you again.

-For the Reds, three little silver items.

-Yes.

First up, the continental silver dog whistle.

No age to it, but good with the dog theme

and a nice little collectable in a modern sense if you can't afford a Victorian one,

so it won't be a lot of money, but it will be £50 to £70, I would have thought.

Good. £35 paid, so that was a good buy.

Next in this obsession with small silver items is the marcasite-encrusted silver compact.

Indeed. And the obsession with dogs as well. It's rather charming with the little dog on the top.

It's a good age, 1935, so it's very Deco in its period.

It's a collectable piece, being a compact,

and we're still hoping that the silver market will carry that through quite nicely.

-To what extent will it carry it through?

-Unknown until the day, but we think 120 to 180.

-Do you really? £65 paid.

-They did well there, I think.

-That is cool, isn't it?

-And probably a wise purchase because now they come up with an old owl.

-Very clever!

-But missing its circle off the end.

-It's incomplete.

Whether it was that or a bell or something, but it's lovely with the owls on it. It's in good condition.

-It's not been squashed or stamped on or over-polished.

-How much?

-40 to 60 on that one.

-They paid 60.

-It'll probably balance out.

-It might well balance out.

They probably won't need their bonus buy, but let's see it anyway.

So, Rosemary, Norman, this is exciting. What did Catherine Southon spend £140 of leftover lolly on?

I said practical and I said elegant.

-You did say elegant.

-And I have fulfilled, I think.

-There we are. A very sweet miniature photo frame.

-Oh, yes.

It's probably French. It's continental.

-But look at this enamel.

-I like enamel.

-Nice colour, all perfect.

Are there bits missing in there? Should they have diamonds or something?

No, not diamonds. They might have been little, semi-precious stones once upon a time. I don't know.

-He's quite a "detail" man, Norman.

-Oh, yes.

-How much?

-How much did you pay for it?

For £30...

-£30?

-Yes.

-That's not too bad.

-He likes it more now.

-Now I do, yes - £30!

You're lovely!

How much do you think we'll make on it?

I think that's got potential to make £50, £60. Not profit.

But it probably will make 50 or 60.

You don't pick now. You choose later, should you want to,

but let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about Catherine's little frame.

-Another sweet little object.

-It is pretty.

Very Art Nouveau influence with the fluid and florid cresting there,

but it's nothing too exceptional, it's just pretty.

Catherine paid £30 for it.

-We've put £40 to £60 on it. Photograph frames are popular little collectables.

-Quite right too.

There is some hope there if the team go with it.

We'll park those four small items and move on to something more chunky for the Blues.

Jeanette and Piers, first of all, the decorative jelly moulds.

They are decorative, but that's as much as you can say about them.

They are not particularly old and people will recognise them as things they have hanging in their kitchen.

-They're mass-produced.

-How much for these five sad, modern jobbies?

-£20 to £30.

They paid £28, so they're in the right sort of ball game and they're quite fun for furnishing a kitchen.

The mantel timepiece with the white metal pug dog on it, I've seen better quality examples of that.

It's got nothing horologically important to the mechanism.

If you like pug dogs or you're a dog lover, you might think it's charming.

-We've put £30 to £40 on that.

-Fair enough. They paid £55. And at that, I think it's a bit of an old dog.

-Moving on with animals...

-Yes!

-Pigeons now.

-Yes.

It's been used. It's got the proud owner's name scrawled on the top, but it's not an exciting artefact.

-It's just quirky.

-How much?

-25 to 35.

-Coo-coo!

-You've been waiting to say that, haven't you?

-£37 our lot paid.

They're going to need some more seed corn, I reckon. Our bonus buy - let's go and have a look at it.

-FRENCH ACCENT:

-Jeanette, Piers...

-We are excited about the bonus buy?

-We are.

-You gave JP a fortune - £180.

-Terrible, isn't it?

-What did the youngster spend it on?

With £180 burning a hole in my pocket, I thought, "What the heck, I would..." Here we go.

-Oh!

-I'll hand one over there for a second.

I'll just explain. What we have here is an Indian, white metal...

White metal meaning silver, but not sterling standard.

Indian, white metal sugar bowl and little milk jug,

but it's sort of in a European shape

and it's made at probably the latter part of the 19th century.

-What did you pay?

-I paid £180 for them.

-I think they're very nice.

-Really?

-You don't like them?

-I don't like them.

What don't you like about them?

-I don't know.

-A bit too fancy?

-Chintzy.

-Yeah, fancy.

-Fussy?

-Yeah.

-Old-fashioned?

-That's the one.

-OK.

-But you like them, Jeanette?

-I do. I must be chintzy, fussy and old-fashioned then!

It can't suit everybody. What you want is profit.

You don't choose right now. You choose after the sale of your first three items,

but let's find out what the auctioneer thinks about JP's tea set.

-These are exciting, aren't they?

-I like these.

It's the type of metalware which is finding a very steady market at the moment,

so I like what I see here, yes.

What do you think the two pieces are worth?

-We've put on an estimate of £70 to £90.

-JP paid £180 for the two pieces, so he really rates them.

-Mm-hm.

-Anyway, strange things happen at auctions, don't they?

-Indeed they do. Let's hope they do.

-That's what makes them so marvellous. Thank you.

-Pleasure.

-Norman, Rosemary, nice, busy saleroom we've got.

-It looks crowded.

-It's what we like to see, Norm. Any worries, Rosemary?

-No, I'm really looking forward to this.

-So are we. What about you, Norm?

-I've put a deposit on my yacht already, so I'm excited.

All right. Let's hope it doesn't turn out to be a rowing boat.

Stand by then. First lot is the whistle.

Lot 74 now. I have interest shown here.

And I start at £12.

-£12 bid.

-Not much interest.

-15. 18. 20.

2. 25. 28. 30. 2.

35. 38. And 40. 2.

-This is good.

-45. 48. 50. 5.

60. 5.

70...? 70 and I'm out.

-That's brilliant.

-75, new bidder.

-You've doubled your money.

Back wall at 75. Where's the 80?

It's now downstairs at 75. Am I missing anybody at £75...?

-Wow!

-Look at that, £40!

-Plus 40.

-Thanks.

-Super-duper.

Lot 75 and I start at just £75. £75 is bid.

-That's a profit already.

-80. 5. 90. 5. 100. And 10.

120. 130. 140. 150.

160. 170. 180. 190.

200. 210. 220, I'm out.

240. 250.

-250?!

-260.

-I don't believe this!

Back to the front at 260. Any advance on £260?

-£260?!

-GAVEL BANGS

-You have just made...

-Wonderful.

You have just made £195 profit!

-That's brilliant.

-That is unbelievable. Now, moving on...

And interest on the sheet shown here. I start at £18. £18 is bid.

£18 only. Where are you? 20? 20 bid.

22. 25. 28. And 30.

2. 35. 38. And 40. 2. 45. 48. And 50. 5. 60, I'm out.

-Go, go, go!

-65, new bidder.

-Yes!

-Yes!

70. 5.

-80...

-Oh!

-What a marvellous auctioneer!

85. 90.

The gentleman at the back at 90.

May I say 5 elsewhere? At £90.

-Any advance...?

-I'm so excited.

-GAVEL BANGS

-I don't know what we've made!

-That's another £30.

-So you have £265-worth of profit.

-Good Lord!

-Gosh!

Listen, guys, you spent 160,

-then you've suddenly from nowhere got £265 of profit.

-That's staggering.

-I'm just gobsmacked.

-You're not the only one, Rosemary.

-I think we all are.

-We bought what we liked.

-That is just so super.

-What are you going to do with the photo frame? Are you going to risk £40?

-Gosh!

-Go for it.

-You don't need to. You could just ring-fence the cash or have a tickle.

-Let's go for it.

-We'll have a tickle.

-Have a tickle?

-We believe in our expert.

-I might let you down.

-You haven't let us down so far.

-We're going with the bonus buy. That's the decision?

-Yes.

And here comes the bonus buy.

Lot 80, I start here at just £22.

£22 bid.

-We'll get there.

-22. 25. 28. 30. 2.

35. 38. 40. 2. 42 is here.

Somebody left? 45, new bidder. 48. 50.

-5...

-Look at this, Catherine.

-This is brilliant.

-Where are you at 60?

At 55 now. Am I missing anybody?

At 55. It's on commission. It will sell...

-£55.

-Wonderful.

-Catherine Southon,

-you have just made £25 to top everything up.

-Yippee!

265, 285, that is plus £290.

-Wow!

-It's rather more than a rowing boat.

-Absolutely. I was right.

-Well done. Put it there, team.

-Thank you.

-Bless you.

-Well done.

-Don't say a word to the Blues.

-No.

-No point in spoiling their day.

-Jeanette, how excited are you on the excited stakes?

-I'm going to explode.

-Is she like this often, Piers?

-Yes, all the time.

It's lovely having a mum like that, eh?

First up, Jeanette, are your moulds, love, and here they come.

Lot 96 now. I start here at £12. £12 bid.

15. 18. 20. 2. 25. 28.

And 30. 2. 35. 38. And 40. 2.

-Look at that!

-With me at 42. I'll take 5?

-42.

At £42, the whole selection there at 42. Looking for 5...

-Any advance? 45. 48.

-Look, it's going on!

-Still with me at 48.

Any advance on £48?

£48 is plus £20. Jeanette, you're a genius!

-Lot 97, I have four lots of interest on the sheets.

-Four bids.

And I start here at £30. £30 bid. At 30. I'll take 2.

32, sir. 35. 38. And 40. 2. 45.

45. With me at 45. Surely worth more.

At 45. 48. And 50.

-Back with me at 50.

-Go on!

-It's with me at 50. Any advance?

-GAVEL BANGS

-£50, you're £5 off.

But very close. That is as close as you need to be. £50 is minus 5.

Lot 98. What may I say for this one? Start me at 30?

20 I'll take. Perhaps you don't know you fancy pigeons

and perhaps you will do after today. Come on. £10 to start?

Thank you, sir. 10. 12. 15.

18. 20.

2... Go on.

-Come on.

-Coo!

-He's not going to be intimidated. 22 to my right.

Where's 5? Right-hand bid at 22. Looking for 5 elsewhere.

-At 22. Are you all done?

-I can't bear it.

-GAVEL BANGS

-£22 is minus £15.

-Which means you're absolutely nowhere.

-Are we back to zero?

-You've wiped face.

-We've got to have...

-Oh, no!

-This is £180 of investment now, isn't it?

-This is ridiculous.

All that work and trouble to be absolutely nowhere.

-You're not pleased about this, are you?

-No, I'm not.

-I can see that.

-Let's go for a massive loss!

-Are you doing it or not?

-Yes. Let's go for the real loss.

You could park this and do nothing and make no profit and no loss and win at that.

That's all right. We're going for it.

-What's she like, eh?

-You missed a subtle hint there, I think!

-Anyway, you're doing it, aren't you?

-Yes, we are.

-OK, fair enough.

-We're going with the bonus buy for certain.

-Fingers crossed, Jonathan.

Lot 102 now. I have interest on the sheet shown.

And I start here at just...

I'll start at £55.

-55.

-£55 bid.

-A long way to go.

55 I do have. At 55. Where are you at 60?

60 bid. 65. 70. 5.

80. 5. 90. 5.

100. 110. 120. 130.

140. 150. 160 in the room.

160 is now to my left. Looking for 70?

At 160, it's still not dear.

At 160. For two pieces, remember? At 160, are you all done?

-Not too bad, not too bad.

-Not too bad? I've just lost you £20.

160, minus 20 equals, overall, minus 20.

-It could have been a lot worse.

-It could have been.

-It could have been a lot worse. Come on.

-Yeah.

-And anyway, minus 20 could be a winning score.

-You never know.

No cocktails for tea then, is there?

-No tea, actually.

-LAUGHTER

Well, I'm glad it's so amusing for the Blues and it's so amusing for the Reds.

-Anybody at all been chatting about the score?

-No.

-No.

-Not at all.

This glorious afternoon brings us outside for a real celebration

because one team has done extremely badly and one team has done extremely well.

And the badly performing team are... the Blues.

-Oh, dear!

-I'm really sorry about this, Blues. Minus 20, yes?

-Yeah.

Not so hot. You started out plus 20.

-I know. We did very well.

-Then it all went down the old proverbial, so we'd better not dwell on that.

-No.

-But have you had a nice time?

-Absolutely brilliant.

-And you, Piers?

-Absolutely brilliant.

You're going to go green when I reveal the result for the Reds

because after the same shopping experience, the Reds have managed to achieve a profit of £290.

-Oh, well done!

-£290 they're going home with...with profits.

And they made a profit on absolutely everything

which gives them entry to the ancient and noble order of the Golden Gavel!

Rosemary, take your Golden Gavel and wear it with pride.

-Norman...

-Wow!

-Isn't that special?

-Absolutely wonderful.

-And Catherine, something to add to your collection of Golden Gavels.

-Thank you.

-This is a special moment.

-And I'll give you £290 to go along with it. £290?

-Thank you.

-That is a fortune.

-It is.

-And on Bargain Hunt, it's a triple fortune, I tell you!

Unbelievable result! And I think a round of applause all round for the great success of the Reds.

-Such fun. Join us soon for some more bargain hunting, yes?

-Yes!

You're sitting there thinking, "I could have done better than that!"

Well, what's stopping you?

If you think you can spot a bargain, go to our BBC website and apply.

It will be splendid to see you.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd